Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has declared five days of national mourning following the tragic death of President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in a helicopter crash on Sunday.
The crash occurred in a mountainous area of northwestern Iran, near the border with Azerbaijan, where the two leaders had been meeting with President Ilham Aliyev. Local media reported that they were on a mission to inaugurate the Qiz Qalasi and Khodaafarin dams.
Ayatollah Khamenei offered his condolences “to the dear people of Iran” and praised the late president and foreign minister for their dedication to the country.
Vice-President Mohammad Mokhber has been appointed to assume interim duties, and a presidential election will be held within 50 days, as stipulated in Iran’s constitution.
Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani has been appointed acting foreign minister.
The Iranian Red Crescent confirmed that the bodies of the president and others who died in the crash have been recovered, and search operations have ended.
President Raisi, 63, was a hard-line cleric who consolidated the control of conservatives over the Islamic Republic after his election in 2021.
The Iranian government has pledged to continue operating “without disruption” despite the tragic loss.
Countries around the world have expressed their condolences, including Pakistan, India, Turkey, Russia, China, and the European Union.
Hamas and the Tehran-backed Hezbollah movement in Lebanon also praised President Raisi’s support for their causes.
